Intentional Outdoor Hours: 523 hours (of 1000)
Racked up enough minutes to reach one hour more this week. If it wasn't bitter cold, it was snowing so I was pretty lame this week.
Reading The Nix by Nathan Hill and devouring it. I'm at the point where doing anything but reading my book is annoying (hahah, holiday to do list can wait apparently...um no) and I just want to finish the book and get the full story. Almost there! My full Christmas wishlist is books and my family continues to call me boring to which I shrug and smile. #nerdforever
High-fiving Grey and Chum after their successful hunt on Saturday morning. They harvested a doe and Grey helped drag it all the way into the yard and was so proud. He loved repeating the story to everyone. The kid is hooked and a redneck through and through.
Celebrating Greyson while he made his first reconciliation at church on Saturday. He was so nervous leading up to the day and then as soon as he got into the confessional he said he realized it was no big deal! We had cupcakes and milk in a little party at the church hall put on by the third graders!
Setting up our outdoor holiday decorations just in time for the first big snow of the season! Brandon and I (and Rusty) worked together to get our outside decorated after Brandon confessed that all the Hallmark Christmas movies we've been watching has inspired him to feel more like decorating (hahah! a.may.zing) And to see the snow falling down on our sweet little lighted mini evergreens outside really did feel so holly jolly this week.
Plowing through these final two weeks of school before break. The kids are all antsy (the snow doesn't help and only has the kids repeating the same question thirty million times a day, 'we getting out early?') and I feel like I have a stack of papers to grade up to my ears, but I'm determined to continue real learning in these final days. We have a Spanish club holiday party coming up next week, a day or two of special Navidad stuff, and I sent in my request for Spanish novels for the new year!
Smiling at the kids' funny choices at the school Santa's workshop. Grey got me a chapter book and Gemma got me an owl necklace and some earrings. For B he got a grunt call from Grey and a camo hat from Gemma (#westernPA santa's workshop win).
Spending time with our besties at our annual Polar Express party with Fiores. Kate and I got to chat the evening away while the kids chowed down on pizza, Bedford Candy popcorn (#bestever), and hot chocolate. All of our holiday get-togethers are my favorite part of the season. I am not a gift person (at all), but the spending time together, enjoying yummy food and warm drinks and talking - that's all the gift I ever need. I'm trying to keep a handle on all the extra school stuff for all four kids. There's special dress up days, and class gift exchange gifts, and teachers' gifts, and school party donations to buy....hang in there, mommas! we got this!
Relaxing and getting in a long evening of rest and self care as all four kids went to see a Christmas display at Olgeby's with Pappy and Gigi. It was amazing and restored my soul (thank you guys!)
Loving Violet's words to describe plans; "lasterday" (yesterday) and "nexterday" (tomorrow).
Enjoying the morning off when my school (and Brandon's work) had a two hour delay for the weather and the big kids' school had a snow day! My dad amazingly was willing and able to come out to our house to spend the whole day with all four kids (!! even braving snowsuits and sledding!) while B and I enjoyed the shortened work day. It was Gemma's first ever school snow day and we made them watch the news old-school style to figure out what their school was doing for the day. Grey was cheering and throwing himself all over the floor when he read their school name off the screen.
Diving head first into competitive cheerleading with Gemma who had her first practice on Thursday night. She loved it and would not stop talking about and asking if she was getting out of school early now to go to practice (hah! no) I am so excited for her to get a solid 'win' at something since she's been busting her butt in school and tutoring. Now it will just be about figuring out how to make all our schedules work together....hm.
Making spaghetti, Hawaiian meatballs over rice, and butter/italian crockpot chicken over egg noodles. Gem helped make some 3 ingredient pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for 2hr delay/snow day breakfast. I've been mentally cataloging what kind of Christmas cookies we will be making and I think I've settled on Pumpkin spice, Honey Oatmeal raisin (both cookie tubs from the school fundraiser for the win!), green & red monster cookies, peanut butter blossoms, chocolate covered pretzels, and maybe something with almonds. Oh, and a pumpkin roll for B. Who is doing this again? and when? LOL.
Tab- thank you so much for your comment on my most recent blog. The hoodie is apparently from Target, and when my mom saw it, she couldn't resist sending it to us. So I put it on him the day he turned our milk blue and told the boys he must have brought it from home (the North Pole!) knowing he'd be cold in the fridge with our blue milk. Ha!
ReplyDeleteJosh seriously did amazing while I was gone, and I didn't feel torn between two places like I thought I would, which was the biggest blessing ever.
Lastly- yes. So funny we agree-- Waking before the kids is the holy grail of awesome parenting. If only it wasn't so dang hard to crawl out of bed in the morning!!!
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You talking about reading and not wanting to do anything else makes me want to get my hands on a REALLY good book! It's been a while since I read a book like that!
How much do I love that you made Grey & Gemma watch the news to see if school was canceled!?! So much! I remember doing the same thing, fingers crossed, reading name after name as they scrolled across the screen. I love it!!!
Violet's Lasterday and Nexterday are KILLING me! I love it so much!
I hope this next week before Christmas is full of twinkling lights and happy family memories (as well as plenty of time to read your awesome book!). So grateful for you, friend.